In the center of pre-season football, Hercules is busy assembling a squad and chasing a remedy for its persistent shortcoming: goals. Under the guidance of Ruben Torrecilla, the team has pushed through four friendlies, with the net rarely rattled by the attack. The absence of a reliable scoring presence has stung the club, even as the squad evolved and adapted during preparations.
Alicante has long faced a goal drought that resurfaces season after season. The club has tried to enlist a true target man who can convert chances into points, but those efforts have met with mixed results. The pursuit remains focused on finding a forward who can carve open defenses and drive the team toward new heights.
The transfer market activity reflects the urgency. A total of twelve new players have joined Hercules, each brought in to reinforce different areas of the pitch. Yet the core objective endures: identify an offensive threat who can unlock stubborn defensive lines and raise the team’s competitive ceiling.
Supporters have watched the club wrestle with offensive inefficiency in past campaigns. The hope now is that the current roster, combined with strategic signings, will translate into consistent scoring and a more dangerous attack in the upcoming season.
One or two more strikers?
Caesar Hernandez
Time remains on the clock as Hercules heads into four remaining friendlies before the league opener on September 2 against Espanyol’s division. A forthcoming test against Cartagena, set for next Wednesday at La Manga at 19:00, promises clues about the team’s current form and its ability to convert chances into goals. The pre-season schedule also takes the squad to Palma for a match with Atlético Baleares next Saturday, another chance to assess strengths and trial new tactical approaches ahead of the campaign.
In the closing stages of preparation, Hércules will meet Atlético Torrellano on August 23, rounding out pre-season with a friendly against UCAM Murcia on August 26 at Rico Pérez. The aim is to gauge the team’s reaction, refine strategies, and generate a buoyant atmosphere ahead of the official competition.
Hercules continues without a breakthrough (1-0)
Caesar Hernandez
In essence, Hercules stands at a pivotal moment in pre-season with a shaped roster and expectations for solving the ongoing scoring shortfall. The recent additions have injected energy into the squad, but finding a distinctive attacker remains an active target as the Second Federation approaches. The club is also seeking a left back and is actively pursuing solutions to complete the squad in the strongest possible way.
More than 12,000 kilometers of journeys and an abundance of artificial turf
David Marin
Across travels and fixtures, Hercules has balanced travel demands with the grind of training on synthetic surfaces, a reality of modern scheduling in regional football. The travel has tested endurance, teamwork, and tactical cohesion, yet the group has pressed on with determination. Each mile and every practice session adds texture to the team’s evolving identity as they refine pressing schemes, ball progression, and finishing routines in readiness for league play.